Complete discharge vehicle tank



July 26, 1932. A. A. KRAMER COMPLETE DISCHARGE VEHICLE TANK Filed March1, 1929 INVENTOR.

17 BY WFF A TTORNE Y.

Patented July 26, 1932 "ANDREW A. xnnMEn, or xANsAsorrY, meson:

COMPLETE momm VEHICLE TANK,

Application filed. March 1,

My invention relates to tanks and more particularly to vehicle tanks andmeans for discharging the liquid contents thereof.-

. In vehicle tanks it is often diflicultto discharge the same completelybecause of the fact that the vehicle carrying the tank may be located onground that is inclined at the time the'tank is being discharged. Itis-a purpose of my invention to provide a discharge and drainage meansfor vehlcle tanks such that the same can be completely discharged evenif the same are standing on uneven ground, such as on a street orroadway that is inclined at a grade as great as the steepest of thoseordinarily encountered on roadways and streets.

Ordinarily vehicle tanks are provided with partitions dividing the sameintocompartments, and my inventia-n is shown as being applied to suchatank. My improvements comprise inclined'bottom portions 1n each of saidcompartments leading to a discharge pipe connection, the inclination ofsaid bottom portions being such as to be shghtly greater than thegreatest inclination of a roadway or street ordinarily encountered.

.The inclination of said bottom is, of course,

lengthwise of the tank vehicle, as the tank curvature crosswise thereofwill ordinarily take care of any inclination of the ground crosswisethereof. In the preferred form of the invention, however, the inclinedbottom portions are struck downwardly from the bottom of the tank andform longitudinal extensions of a sump with which the discharge pipe orconduit connects. These downwardly struck portions preferably extendfrom the sump to a point in close adjacency to the end walls of thecompartment, and taper both in width and depth gradually from said sumptoward the end walls.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear as thedescription of the drawing proceeds. I desire to have it understood,however, that I do not intend to limit myself to the details ofstructure shown or described, but that I intend to include as part of myinvention, all such obvious changes and modifications as would occur toa person Referring in detail to the drawing, hicle tankis showncomprisingcurved shell '14 thereof adjacentthe sheets 6. The'wall's ofthe depressions merge with 1929. Serial norseaeei.

skilled in this mend as would fallwithin the scope of the claims.

In thedrawing: Fig; l is .a fragmentaryview of a'tank partly. inelevation and partly in section,

showing my improvements applied thereto.

- V Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, horizontal sectional viewyofthe tank partlybroken away taken near the bottom thereof, and

, Fig.3 isa fragmentary view thereof partly in elevationandpar-tlyinvertical section, the section being taken substantially onthe line3-3of Fig- 1. I I

portions 5 which combineuwith the sheets 6 to form compartments 7 insaid; tank- The sheets 6may be either partition sheets or'end sheetsofthe tank. In either case the sheets are extended downwardly at 8 to formsupporting members or bolsters for the tank and the lower-edges thereofmay be provided with horizontal flanges 9. Each compartment of p thetank is provided with a sump 10 and the tank is provided with slopingbottom portionsinclined downwardly from adjacent the Y end walls6 of thecompartments to said sump. In the preferred form of the inventionthesloping bottom portions of the tank are formed by striking a portionofthe shell of the tank downwardly or outwardlyat the same time that thesump 10. is formed, said inclined outstruck portions being indicated bythe numeral 11 in the drawing and having inclined side walls-12, wherebythe grooves ordepressions 13 formed in the bottom of the .tank therebyare substantially V-shaped in transverse section and decreasegraduallyin depth and widthfrom the sump 10 tothe the'end wallsof thecompartment formed by the sheets, saiddepressions extending as near endsp so as practicable in the manufacture ofthe same 95 to saidend walls.The. walls of said. depressions also merge with the conical wall of thesump 10. Thus. asump: is provided with elongations extending from thesame lengthwise of the tank to points adjacent the sheets or end walls 6of the compartment, and these extensions gradually decrease in width anddepth from the sump to said sheets 6. The extensions formed by theoutstruck portions 11 are not quite as wide at the point where the sameempty into the sump as the diameter of the sump, as will be evident fromFig. 2. The shell portion of the tank is preferably flanged outwardly at15 and these outwardly flanged portions 15 are preferably welded to thesheets 6 at 16.

A pipe or conduit 17 extends from each of the sumps 10 and each of saidpipes or conduits is provided with a funnel-shaped end portion 18 weldedto the sump 10 at 19, said sump having an opening therein aligning withthe open end of the pipe 17 The conduits or pipes 17 extend throughopenings in the extensions 8 of the sheets 6 and are secured thereto asby welding as indicated at 20, in Fig. 1.

The inclination of the portions 11 is such that it is somewhat greaterthan the steepest grades ordinarily encountered on roadways and streets,and it is obvious that these inclined bottom portions of the tank can beinclined more or less as conditions may require, if desired, as long asthe inclination is such as to assure drainage of the tank whetherstanding on level ground or on any inclination ordinarily encountered.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byUnited States Letters Patent is 1. In a vehicle tank, a transverselycurved shell portion and transverse wall portions dividing said tankinto a plurality of compartments, said compartments being arranged in arow lengthwise of said tank, said shell portion having a downwardlydepressed portion in the bottom thereof comprising a central sumpportion spaced from said transverse wall portions and longitudinalextensions tapering in width and gradually decreasing in depth from saidcentral sump portion to merge with the curved shell portion at pointsadjacent said transverse wall portions.

2. In a vehicle tank, a longitudinal shell portion, transverse uprightwalls cooperating with said shell portion to form a tank compartment,said compartment having a bottom wall varying in depth transversely ofsaid tank from a portion of maximum depth, said tank having a dischargeoutlet in the bottom thereof at said portion of maximum depth, saidbottom wall having inclined portions extending from adjacent saidtransverse wall portions downwardly lengthwise of said tank to saidoutlet.

3. In a vehicle tank, a shell portion transversely curved to provide atransversely curved bottom wall for said tank, transverse sheetscooperating with said shell portion to divide said tank into a pluralityof compartments arranged in a row lengthwise of said tank, said bottomwall in each compartment having a discharge outlet therein and havinginclined portions extending from adjacent said transverse sheetsdownwardly lengthwise of said tank to said outlet.

4. In a vehicle tank, a longitudinal shell portion, transverse sheetscooperating with said shell portion to divide said tank into a pluralityof compartments arranged in a row lengthwise of said tank, the bottomwall of each compartment varying in depth transversely of said tank froma portion of maximum depth, each compartment having a discharge outletat said portion of maximum depth, said bottom wall of each com partmenthaving inclined portions extending longitudinally of said tank fromadjacent said transverse wall portions downwardly to said outlet.

5. In a vehicle tank, a shell portion transversely curved to provide atransversely curved bottom wall for said tank, transverse sheetscooperating with said shell portion to divide said tank into a pluralityof compartments arranged in a row lengthwise of said tank, said bottomwall in each compartment having a sump struck downwardly therefrom, andhaving inclined wall portions extending lengthwise of said tank fromadjacent said transverse sheets downward to said sump, and a dischargeconduit extending from said sump.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 21st day ofFebruary, 1929. ANDREW A. KRAMER.

